It is well-known in the art to use inflatable airbags for bracing a load, such as large paper rolls. These airbags typically consist of a single plastic inflatable bladder surrounded by some form of container, usually a multi-ply paper container. The container prevents the bladder from being punctured by the load or other objects in the cargo bay. The airbag includes an air inlet valve so that the bladder can be inflated.
In order to brace a load using this type of airbag, special contour roll buffers or chocks, as shown in FIG. 5, are needed to hold the airbag between the rolls or between a roll and the wall. The contour roll buffers or chocks complement the shape of the rolls and hold the rolls. Also, additional dunnage is often needed to pad the contact point between the airbag and the contour roll buffers. If the contour roll buffers and additional dunnage are not used, the airbag has a tendency to slip out from between the rolls.
When using this type of single bladder airbag, the airbag is placed between the contour roll buffers and additional dunnage in a deflated condition and then inflated through the valve with high pressure air to the desired air pressure, usually 2 to 8 pounds per square inch, depending upon the size of the bladder and the container structure. In the inflated condition, the voids between the rolls are filled and the rolls are stabilized and ready for transport.
Since the design of this airbag necessitates the use of contour roller buffers and additional dunnage, this single bladder airbag presents a serious disadvantage. These items add extra weight to the load and increase the total expense. They also take up additional valuable space that could be used for more rolls or drums during a shipment.
The present invention presents a novel airbag that is intended to minimize these problems, as well as to present several other improvements.